Gift of the Tainted
by MyIncentive
Summary: [Originally Second Chances] Now chaptering. She would give him her Light, but at a heavy price: she would have to take in his Darkness... along with a few other things. [Aerith & Sephiroth centric, somewhat AU]
1. Chapter 1

**Gift of the Tainted **

**Summary: **Now chaptering. She would give him her Light, but at a heavy price: she would have to take in his Darkness… along with a few other things. [Aerith & Sephiroth centric

**Disclaimer: **Sephiroth, Aerith and all other characters mentioned in this fic solely belong to Square Enix and Disney.

**A/N: **Note to some readers that this story may be confusing to those who have not played or have never heard of Final Fantasy VII. Also, this chapter has now been edited.

* * *

_**Chapter 1**_

She knew she ought to feel hatred for him, but it wasn't in her nature.

Bygones were bygones, and she felt that everyone deserved a second chance.

Even him.

Calmly Aerith walked across the silent expanse of blue, empty plains, gravel crunching loudly under her big sized brown boots as she went. It was her first time going beyond the outskirts of the little town, but she knew where to go, and after all it wasn't as if there was anyone around to stop her.

It had been three months since Organization XIII had been defeated, three months since all the heartless and nobodies had been successfully eradicated from all the worlds, three months since almost everyone had left Radiant Garden a.k.a. Hollow Bastion, all for varying reasons.

Sora had returned back to his own world, Destiny Islands, whereas Goofy and Donald had traveled with King Mickey back to Disney Castle. Cloud was competing in another tournament at the Olympius Coliseum, Tifa competing alongside him. Leon, Cid and Yuffie all left on Cid's latest Gummi ship, to pick up supplies in the world of Twilight Town and were yet to arrive back, most likely overstaying their visit again. That pretty much just left her and Merlin for a while, that was until Merlin decided to go travel to other worlds, on a search for new types of magic that he believed were yet to be discovered.

Now Aerith was all on her lonesome, as she had been for the past week and a half.

And it got her to thinking, what if he was still out there, still in Dark Depths?

Aerith hadn't encountered him in a long time, and at one stage, had never wanted to for a long time.

Sephiroth.

Reaching the cliff Aerith stood on the very edge, the tips of her boots suspended over air, and surveyed the desolate scenery before her.

She knew he was here somewhere, she could sense his presence: that dark and foreboding aura that hovered on the edges of her consciousness. The taint of Darkness.

Aerith couldn't trace the Darkness back to its origin, but she didn't need to; despite the fact that Darkness was almost untraceable, Light would always be easy to find, and because her Light was one of the purest, therefore one of the most powerful, she knew Sephiroth would have no trouble detecting it – if he hadn't done so already.

All the same however Aerith willed her Light to spread across the rocky expanse, down into every crevice and crack, sweeping over the land of Dark Depths far and wide, making sure that every inhabitant was alert to her presence. She only expected there to be one.

She wasn't disappointed.

Dark tendrils of smoke appeared at the side of Aerith's vision. Turning around she found herself looking up into the face of her killer, the same person who had once impaled her upon his sword. Stepping forward from the swirling mass of darkness, Sephiroth's eyes landed upon her form, his expression cold and calculating. She could almost see his mind racing through the endless conclusions as to her arrival in a place like Dark Depths.

"Hello Sephiroth," Aerith said in a light and conversational tone, as if greeting an old friend whom she hadn't seen in months.

The tall, silver-haired man regarded her suspiciously. "What brings you here, Cetra girl?"

"Now, now, is that the way to greet somebody?"

He ignored her mild rebuttal and shot another question at her. "What business do you have here in the Dark Depths? I am assuming you were looking for me, for there is no one else that resides here."

"Well," Aerith began, wondering how in all the worlds she was going to explain to her once-murderer her appearance on his claimed land without alerting him to the real reason. "Actually, I was just taking a stroll outside Radiant Garden and somehow I happened upon this place, this rather alluring place and... I thought to take a nice look around," she finished somewhat lamely.

"I see." They both knew she was lying.

Sighing, Aerith decided to come out with the truth. "Okay, so I will admit, I did in fact come to see you.' Sephiroth tilted his head to the side, his face betraying slight interest – the most amount of emotion she had ever seen him show.

"Oh? And why would that be, Cetra girl? Why come to see me?" he asked.

"First off my name is not 'Cetra girl' and I came to see you because – because I want to help you get rid of your Darkness!" There. She had said it.

Sephiroth blinked a little... then laughed, his whole wing shaking with him.

For some reason this really angered Aerith. She didn't find the situation slightly comical in the least. "What is so funny?"

Laugh dying down, Sephiroth replied, "What makes you think I want to get rid of my Darkness? Silly girl, I am the Darkness – Cloud's Darkness. The Darkness of his heart."

"Wrong!" Aerith exclaimed. She couldn't believe this. It was almost like re-living through her past life again. "You believe lies once more, Sephiroth. First you thought you were once Cetra and now you believe you are the Darkness? When will you ever learn? Even if what you say is true – that you are indeed the Darkness of Cloud's heart – then why are you still here? Cloud defeated you and overcame his Darkness – and you know how he did that? He did it with the aid of Tifa's Light – that's how! Tifa gave him her Light, and I can give you some of mine too, because I know that somewhere deep inside of you lies the tiniest flame of Light, still burning. I can help you, Sephiroth, but only if you'll let me." Aerith had to inhale deeply; she was spent of air due to her long, overdue verbal outburst, expelled in only one breath.

The One-Winged Angel stood there impassively, the silence between them lengthening to a point where Aerith felt like she was going to scream until he finally chose to speak.

"...I think you have mistaken me for your First class SOLDIER boyfriend Zackary, Aerith Gainsborough, for I am not that gullible and so easily inclined to accept your 'gracious' offer of sharing with me your Light," he said coldly. "I think I am well off enough to survive on my own, _without _your precious Light, or anyone else's for that matter."

It was Aerith's turn to laugh, albeit bitterly. "'Well off'? Tell me would a well off person be living out their days in a place such as this? Face it Sephiroth, you are at a dead end. No longer can you convince Cloud to give in to his Darkness as he is in control of it. No longer can you go back to your old ways – Jenova is gone along with what was once known as our world. We are stuck here – whether we like it or not – and you can either live out your days as a hermit here in Dark Depths, wallowing in your Darkness..." She spoke in a much kinder, gentler voice. "...or you can join this side, the side of _Light_..."

Aerith's form was instantly engulfed in bright, golden light, so bright that Sephiroth had to raise an arm over his eyes from the glare. She reached a hand out towards him, but Sephiroth recoiled, hissing and baring his teeth. Black smoky spirals surrounded his lower body all the way up to his waist as his right wing unfurled and stretched itself to its limit, giving him a more demonic appearance to rival Aerith's angelic one.

Leaping up into the sky, Sephiroth stared down at the shining girl below, gesturing his arm outwards.

"Come. Let us see what this Light of yours can do then first." A sword materialized into his palm, one that spanned well over ten feet.

His legendary sword, Masamune.

Aerith faltered. Memories flashed through her mind of her final moments back in her home world, of her head lowering to see the red-tinged blade protruding out of her stomach, of her collapsing forward, arms falling limply by her side. The slice of cold, sharpened metal as darkness clouded her vision, her last thoughts echoing the sounds of his cruel laughter...

Sephiroth smiled malevolently, seeing the traces of fear in her eyes as they swept up and down his sword.

"Care for a repeat experience of getting _speared_ again, Cetra girl?" he said.

Aerith looked up into his eyes, eyes that were once bright green and full of mako, now just a clear shade of blue.

There was a still a chance.

But she had to act now, or never.

"No," she replied simply, and before Sephiroth even had a chance to act, she shot upwards into the air as well, the Light still engulfing her form brightly as ever. Sephiroth's eyes widened. He knew what she was planning to do.

"_No_!" he cried but it was too late; Aerith had already latched herself upon his body, tightly curling her limbs around him, one hand clamped over the spot on his chest where his heart would be.

She raised her face to his.

"I'm sorry," she said calmly.

With all of the strength she possessed, her power, her love, her joy, Aerith channeled all her energy into one concentrated form of Light – and sent it down though her hand right into the core of his very being, where the source of all his Darkness laid.

Sephiroth emitted a piercingly loud guttural scream, his torso arching against Aerith's body. As a form of retaliation the Darkness inside him lashed out, pushing back the Light and forming a dark sphere around them.

It was no good. If Aerith were to save Sephiroth at all, she had to take in his Darkness.

Embracing herself mentally for the attack that would be mounted against her, Aerith closed her eyes and opened herself up to the Darkness, exposing her heart fully to it. Immediately the Darkness washed over her as it left the empty carcass of Sephiroth, all her senses overwhelmed by the sheer _force _of it taking over. It was more than she could stand.

Aerith's voiced joined in with Sephiroth's, their screaming symphony of agony resounding across the endless plains, just a small taste in comparison to the magnitude of the battle that was waging inside the both of them. Aerith could barely feel the nails that had pierced through his gloves raking across her back, shredding tears in her dress. She felt like she was going to drown under the weight of perpetual blackness that surrounded her, that suffocated her.

It was all for nothing. She had failed, and now they were both going to die.

_Where there is Light, there is Darkness, and where there is Darkness..._

From the dark sphere burst forth multiple, blinding beams of Light, streaming from both Aerith and Sephiroth's forms. Weakly Aerith opened her eyes. All she could see was white.

The last thing she remembered was the feeling of falling through the air... then nothing.

* * *

Slowly she came to her senses. Bringing a hand to her dizzying head, Aerith blinked wearily and glanced down to where the silver-haired man was lying, eyes closed, next to her. His chest was steadily rising and falling, which meant that he too had survived their descent.

She had done it. Aerith had saved Sephiroth. No longer could she feel the dark, menacing aura that had always surrounded him. He was freed from the taint of the Darkness. Suddenly feeling drained from the thought of the enormity of what she had just achieved, Aerith laid back down on the hard, rocky ground, and turned to face Sephiroth, appraising his current condition.

Then Aerith realized something. Sephiroth's wing had disappeared. The One-Winged Angel no longer had his One Wing. She wondered what he would make of that when he would wake up.

Shakily she reached out for Sephiroth's hand and clasped it tightly.

"Welcome back, Sephiroth," she whispered.

Aerith closed her eyes again, letting exhaustion and weariness claim her.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry if there were some mistakes in this fic – I haven't gotten the chance to play the game in ages. And if it seems a little rushed… well that would be because I have exams coming up. 

Haha… yeah.

Well anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this story and please review! Any comments/constructive criticisms are welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

**Gift of the Tainted**

**Summary: **Now chaptering. She would give him her Light, but at a heavy price: she would have to take in his Darkness… along with a few other things. [Aerith & Sephiroth centric

**Disclaimer: **Sephiroth, Aerith and all other characters mentioned in this fic solely belong to Square Enix and Disney.

**A/N: **So here it is – another chapter. You'll have to forgive me if the flow in this chapter is somewhat more slower than chapter one's. My thanks go out to all my reviewers. You guys rock!!! So as a treat I decided to expand on this story (originally a one-shot), as some of you have asked for. You may have also noticed that I have changed the title from 'Second Chances' to 'Gift of the Tainted'. This was done for two reasons: first off, now that there is a more progressive plot to this fic, I didn't think that the old title would tie in to it so well. And secondly, a good friend pointed out to me that it was lacking in originality; well, that was the gist of it anyway. Oh and before I forget, a very VERY special thanks to Mokona for being my first actual reviewer on this site, and also for adding this to the a e r i t h gainsborough x x . H . O . L . Y . C2 ::showers with thanks and hugs::

Note to some readers that this story may be confusing to those who have not played or have never heard of Final Fantasy VII.

Warning: semi-graphic descriptions towards the end. You've been warned. Rated T.

* * *

_**Chapter 2**_

"_Welcome back, Sephiroth," she whispered._

_Aerith closed her eyes again, letting exhaustion and weariness claim her._

Time passed. When Aerith finally opened her eyes, she made a realisation. She had woken up to a sky full of twinkling stars. Night-time had descended, and brought with it cool breezes that were sweeping across the landscape, making her shiver uncontrollably. Still lying on the ground, Aerith out of reflex closed her open palm, searching fingers curling in on themselves, failing to find the warmth it encased not so long ago.

Turning her head on its side Aerith made two more realisations. The first was that she noticed her past-life adversary was gone. She still remembered the moment when she had grabbed his hand before slipping into unconsciousness. It was his hand that held the warmth that her own was previously searching for. The second realisation was seeing all the freshly cracked earth surrounding her, now that she was fully aware of her surroundings. Unnatural rifts marring the otherwise flat terrain, some so deep and wide that they stretched forever endlessly before her eyes. What kind of destructive force could have caused this?

_Oh._

That's right. The battle between her and Sephiroth. It already felt like it happened aeons ago. Somehow, the internal struggle of Light versus Darkness that took place both in and around them must have disturbed Radiant Garden's own planetary energies, resulting in what she saw before her. It would take a long time for the land to naturally heal itself over. Feeling remorseful and slightly guilty with her own involvement in contributing to Radiant Garden's scars, Aerith carefully lifted herself up into a sitting position, gently patting the ground as she did so. Radiant Garden reminded her much of her own world, Planet Gaia, and how much she missed it and its voices that only she could hear. Of course, there was no going back to the Planet now; that was a door closed to her, to Sephiroth, to Cloud, Tifa, Cid, Yuffie and to whoever else that came from there. And it was a door closed for good.

Getting up onto her feet, Aerith was surprised to feel no aches or pains of any kind. The fall after the struggle that had taken place in the air must have been at least one hundred feet from above the ground – a high enough fall to cause severe injuries to even the toughest of bodies. And yet physically, she felt fine. Just mainly cold, more than anything. The winds had picked up considerably since the moment she regained consciousness, making her wish she had worn something a little more warmer than the simple, thin cotton dress that she was currently wearing. A simple, thin cotton dress that bore multiple dirt patches and several large tears at the back, courtesy of Sephiroth's sharp nails.

_...Sephiroth's _wickedly_ sharp nails._

Aerith giggled at the thought, a note of hysteria in her voice.

Deciding it was finally time to leave and get out of the brewing windstorm, Aerith turned, but not before catching sight of a metallic flash of something to her right. It was still dark, but as she made her way to the glinting object she swiftly drew back and gasped.

It was Masamune, lying on the ground… _in half._

Overcoming her initial wave of fear every time she came into sight of the legendary weapon, Aerith moved closer, knowing it couldn't do her any harm without its owner to wield it. Layers of dirt already coated its side, all the way to the point where it broke cleanly off, the end half lying just a little further ahead. How could such a powerful sword – mayhap even the best – have broken so easily?

Aerith looked up into the dark sky, remembering clinging to Sephiroth, remembering him gripping her tightly as he roared out in pain; he must have dropped the sword at some point during the battle. Funny, she couldn't recall seeing the blade fall. And it still didn't explain why Masamune was now in two pieces. A finely crafted weapon such as the one before her was designed to probably withstand almost anything.

And what about Sephiroth? Aerith couldn't imagine him just up and leaving his beloved sword behind. Wherever he went, so did Masamune. Or maybe…

Aerith straightened up, senses alert. Maybe Sephiroth was still around after all. Maybe he hadn't left at all.

"Sephiroth?" she whispered. No answer.

Again, she tried louder, spinning on the spot to see where he might be. "Sephiroth!"

Only the howling winds replied to her call. Deciding that he really had left her and the sword behind, Aerith once more bent down to examine Masamune. Despite her sorry history with it, it really was a beautiful sword. To see it broken, left to become buried in the dust… it made her feel… _sad_.

_Sad? Sad for the sword that once penetrated through your internal organs? The sword that once _ended_ you?_

The feeling was… she couldn't explain it. It felt like it was someone else's sadness, yet it was _she _who was feeling it. Shaking her head slightly, Aerith reached out to touch the hilt, closing her eyes in half-expectancy to be hit with an onslaught of horrible memories. Instead, she found her fingers firmly wrapping themselves around the semi-cold handle, no flashbacks accompanying the action. Heartened, Aerith tugged on the sword, knowing that at the most she could probably only half lift one end, and try to shake the dirt off it.

She had underestimated her abilities. Not only was she able to move the sword, she lifted it with ease, completely off the ground, using only one hand. _One hand_. Granted, so it was only half of the blade, but even as a half it was still roughly equivalent to her height. Quite an outstanding achievement by anyone's standards.

And it was _Masamune_. The one and only katana of its kind, legendary out of the fact that none bar the General himself could ever wield it.

Taking a few experimental swipes, Aerith was awed at how it effortlessly sliced through the air, even in the face of the raging winds. She had never – not once – ever held a sword before, yet if she hadn't known any better, she would have thought that the sword was _meant _for her hold, its slight but comforting weight in her hand making it feel like it was an extension of her arm.

_How can this be?_

Lowering the sword, Aerith looked down at the other untouched half of the blade, deep in thought. She didn't want to leave the Masamune behind, weird as that sounded. She had a feeling that Sephiroth wasn't going to come back for it, and well, if maybe she had the sword fixed somehow –

_Fixed? Just so the man can come back to reclaim it and kill you again? Are you nuts, Aerith? _

_No, it's not like that_, Aerith countered the shrill voice of reason inside her head. _Sephiroth's changed now. I took away his Darkness. He has no reason to hurt me, or anyone else for that matter._ _And I don't think it's a good idea to leave such a dangerous weapon like Masamune lying around out here. I can't take the chance that Sephiroth might not come back to retrieve it, leaving it for someone else back from Radiant Garden to find it, possibly a child. If they do, and hurt themselves in the process, I'll never be able to forgive myself. _

_Your choice, _the voice replied abruptly, fading away.

Sighing, Aerith placed the half of Masamune she was holding onto the ground, and then proceeded to rip a moderately long strip of pink cloth from the hem of her dress, wrapping it around her hand. Taking the end-half of Masamune into her cotton-bandaged hand, she flexed her hold on it, judging how much pressure she could apply to the blade without it cutting through to her skin. Satisfied, Aerith straightened up once more and started walking back in the direction of Radiant Garden, clutching the broken halves of Masamune in each hand.

The solitary journey into the night was tempestuous, and other than the occasional loose strand of hair blowing persistently into her face, Aerith was otherwise preoccupied with the growing worries that were taking over her mind: namely of the reactions of the other Radiant Garden residents when they would see her and the tattered state of dress she was in. Not to mention the faces of her friends when they would inevitably find out about the little 'visit' she had made to see a certain silver-haired ex-General. And no doubt about it – they would find out, one way or another. She seriously doubted the gaping rifts wouldn't be a big enough hint already… and speaking of the rifts…

A particularly massive looking one that stretched from horizon to horizon was obstructing her path back to Radiant Garden. The distance to the other side was far beyond considering to just simply hop across – definitely a problem.

Peering over the edge, Aerith couldn't even see how far to the bottom it was. The black was impenetrable.

Slowly, Aerith took several long steps away from the edge. Immediately the voice of reason came back.

_What are you doing?_

Form crouched and ready, Aerith responded, _I… I think I'm going to jump across. I think I can do this._

_What, jump across? The gap's at least twenty feet wide – you'll never make it!_

In absolute truth, Aerith wasn't entirely sure if she was going to make it either. When she had shot up into the air to face Sephiroth only hours ago, it was using the power of her Light, however that was because it was threatened by his Darkness; the powers of Light could only be used whenever Darkness was around. And there was no threat of the Darkness now, leaving her in quite a predicament. The windstorm was becoming more ferocious, and out of sheer desperation from wanting to get out of it as soon as possible, jumping across was the only idea that came to her mind. That and the confident intuition she was getting that she actually _could _perform the jump. It was an alien intuition, none like she ever had before, and yet…

She wanted to trust it with her life. The feeling was so strong in its certainty that she couldn't help but place her faith in it, letting it take over control. Now it was time to put that faith to the test.

Taking one deep breath, Aerith suddenly sped forward, propelling herself up into the air with her last step. She was airborne.

_NO!_

Arms outstretched, Aerith closed her eyes as she sailed over the chasm, not wanting to see the possible fate that lied directly below her. The two blades she was holding hissed through the wave of rampant winds as they arched towards the other side, horizontally perpendicular to their carrier. Feeling like she was nearing the end of the flight, Aerith opened her eyes again – and realised her mistake.

With no time to prepare for a safe landing, the chestnut-haired girl crashed onto the unforgiving ground, skidding forward on her knees and elbows. Crying out sharply, Aerith came to a bumpy stop, both halves of Masamune still being held painfully tight within her grasp. Lying forward in a crumpled heap, it was a long time before she was able to move again. Arms and legs burning intensely, Aerith eventually loosened her hold of the sword halves and began a slow, careful inspection of the damage done to her body.

Multiple bruises and abrasions covered her lower arms, while the skins of her kneecaps were partially ripped off and hanging, exposing the tender red flesh underneath, veins and all. The hand which was wrapped in the material straight from her own dress was soaked in blood; she had held the blade too tightly. Add to the fact that she was starting to feel dizzy, Aerith really didn't think she was going to be getting up anytime soon, much less make it back to Radiant Garden. But then something extraordinary happened.

Right before her eyes, the sores she had received only moments ago were beginning to disappear; the already mottled bruises were fading to the original colour of her skin; open cuts which were trickling out blood were closing up; even her red raw knees were mending themselves over, new skin forming over the sinew and reattaching to the skin surrounding it. The dizziness was lessening, and though the hand which carried the end half of Masamune was still bloodied, the excruciating pain that came with opening and closing it was gone.

It was astounding. Her body could _heal _itself.

_Weird, I don't remember ever having _that _ability before._

She couldn't wait to tell the others. Grabbing both Masamune halves and getting up once again, Aerith continued on her way. During the trip she came across more slightly smaller cracks although none of them impeded her path.

Somehow, the walk from Radiant Garden to the Dark Depths had seemed quicker than this. But then again, she had spent the whole walk half-dreading the confrontation with Sephiroth, so of course time had sped up on her.

Glancing down at the broken sword, Aerith's thoughts trailed back once more to Sephiroth. She wondered where he was, and what he was doing. Now that his Darkness was no longer an issue, Aerith hoped he wouldn't continue his charade with Cloud.

_Hmm, I should make a note of remembering to tell Cloud that Sephiroth is no longer the enemy. The battle between those two has been going on long enough – it has _got_ to stop. _

Nearing the familiar sight – the place she called home – Aerith found that with each step she made the next was becoming harder to make. If she thought the brewing windstorm was bad before, it was nothing to how it was now: the winds were so fierce that already she had almost been swept off her feet several times. Once, a particularly violent gust of wind pushed her back two paces, and before Aerith knew it, she had plunged both halves of Sephiroth's sword deep into the ground, using them as steadfast supports to hold onto until she could move forward again. Needless to say, her left hand started bleeding profusely again, before quickly oozing to a stop, the cut healing over as it did the last time.

Hurrying in her steps, Aerith had just reached the outskirts of Radiant Garden when she was unexpectedly taken by surprise, causing her to stumble. So shocked she was, Aerith initially thought someone was attacking her – but there was no one around.

_Huh? What was –_

It happened again. Both halves of Masamune clattered onto the ground. Falling onto her knees, Aerith felt like her chest was going to explode. Grief and anguish of such immeasurable magnitude burned its way into every vein. Torrent after torrent of emotional agony pounded into her, causing tremors to rock her body after each one. The mental assault came so fast, making her lose control of her body. She was losing her mind. She couldn't remember who she was.

_I'm no one I'm no one I'm no one –_

Clutching the sides of her head, Aerith turned to face skyward and screamed, eyes burning from the wind and her tears. The regret of a thousand souls and more weighed down upon her so heavily she felt she was going to get crushed by it all. But she deserved it. Such atrocious sins associated to her name – no one could ever possibly forgive her for that.

_Hate me hate me hate me –_

Nobody loved her. Everybody hated her. Nothing could ever compare to the feeling of being so _alone_, subsisting in a solitary world devoid of all hope for redemption.

Vision blurred, Aerith could barely make out a wavering figure fast approaching her. She was leaning on all fours, and as the shuddering sobs escaped her, something cold and smooth was pressed to her lips, emptying its liquid contents into her mouth.

"_Kill me_," she choked out to the figure after it moved away, before finally collapsing to the ground.

* * *

**A/N: **So, after writing this chapter, I realised it had more AerithxMasamune than anything else (lol, Aerith and Masamune) but not to worry! More is coming just around the corner… hopefully before Christmas, if not sooner ::fingers crossed:: 

Grrr, I hate the fanfiction's editing process; it won't let me use asterisks, dashes (sometimes), etc. Hate it.

Anyway, don't forget to review! The more inspiration I get, the faster I type. (insert smiley face _here_)


	3. Chapter 3

**Gift of the Tainted**

**Disclaimer: **Sephiroth, Aerith and all other characters mentioned in this fic solely belong to Square Enix and Disney.

**A/N: **Before anyone tells me, I know Aerith and the others aren't actually based on their FFVII counterparts, but for the sake of the story, I'm just going to pretend like they are; hence the mention of AU in the summary. Thanks goes out to **little dog **for pointing out one of my mistakes. Also, I'm sorry that this update was a little late. Consider it as a belated Christmas gift from me, I guess.

* * *

_**Chapter 3**_

_What brings you here, Cetra girl?_

_Well…_

_I see… you were looking for me… _

_I want to help you…_

_You have mistaken me… Aerith Gainsborough…_

_Face it Sephiroth…_

_Without your precious Light—_

_Wallowing in your Darkness—_

…_I'm sorry._

…_you were looking for me…_

Distant banging. Raging howls. Low voiced mumbles. These were the sounds that greeted her upon awakening. Blinking away the sleep and the temporary disorientation that clouded her mind, Aerith slowly reached a hand over her face to find a damp cloth placed over her brow. It was almost starting to become natural, waking up once again in less-than-ideal circumstances. Taking in the surroundings, the familiar red toy plane hanging up from the rafters, the numerous bookcases and shelves situated around the room, and the miniature brick landing bearing chairs and a table with cutlery, one thing was glaringly obvious: this was Merlin's house.

"Awake now, are we?" The source of the voice lied somewhere beyond the foot of the bed; Aerith could see a blue and pointy object waggling to and fro just over the edge.

"Merlin?"

"The one and only." Out the speaker popped into view, books of all sizes spilling out of his arms. His wizard hat wobbled precariously on his head as he swooped down to pick up a few more.

In an instant, everything came rushing back to Aerith's mind, including her last agonising moments of consciousness. However Merlin was there to ease her fears before she even had the chance to utter her first word. "No need to fret, my dear," he said, taking note of the sudden alarm in her eyes, "if you cannot remember what happened, I wouldn't be surprised ― that sleeping potion is quite the potent stuff, you know. For four days you slept."

"I can remember, it's just ―" Aerith began to correct him but paused after she had taken all of his words into account. "Wait, did you say four days?"

"Indeed I did. And lucky the vial that held the potion was nearby me at the time I heard your screams; as soon as my ears picked up on them I grabbed all the restoratives I could find and rushed outside into the storm, towards the castle gates where the sounds were coming from. Just imagine my surprise when I found you, dear Aerith, lying just beyond the walls writhing away on the ground like a soul possessed. I think it'll suffice to say you gave me quite the scare, especially those last two words you greeted me with."

_Kill me._ Even now Aerith still had no idea what came over her. The mental attack had come without warning, overriding all senses, all rational thought. "So you were the one who found me, not…" She trailed off, struggling to remember the blurred approaching figure that had come to her rescue. She swore she saw a flutter of silver hair.

"Eh? Sorry, didn't quite catch that." Merlin poked a finger into his ear, forgetting the jumbled assortment of books resting in his arms. They tumbled to the ground. "Oh damn it," he cursed.

"Are you okay?" Aerith looked up to see the wizened man dislodging a book that was tangled in his beard. A long, flowing silver beard. Aerith blinked at the realisation. So that was the flutter of silver she had seen. Funny, she really thought it had been someone else…

Unbidden thoughts coalesced into the form of a tall man in armour. _Silly girl, why would _he_ come to rescue you? He's not a hero. _

"Yes yes, I'm fine," Merlin said, finally ridding his beard of the book. He shuffled most of them back into the corner near the wooden cupboard. His movements led Aerith's gaze to Masamune, both halves lying half-hidden in the shadow cast by the cupboard.

She gasped. "You have the ―" Merlin turned his head in the direction of her gaze and turned back, his expression sombre.

"Ah the _Masamune_, yes. I found it next to you. Tea?" Merlin raised his arm and one of the little teacups zoomed off the table into his hand. He gave it to her without waiting for her answer. It was warm in her hands. Aerith looked at him wonderingly.

"I think," he said, inclining his nose down at her thoughtfully, "one of us has a story to tell ― right Miss Gainsborough?"

And so she told him; she told him about the confrontation between the ex-General and herself; of the aftermath, Masamune, and her decision to bring it with her; to the part when she had discovered her newfound abilities of being able to self-heal and jump over gaping rifts; to the end of her journey back, and the mental attack that left her on the verge of becoming suicidal. Throughout the moments of her telling Aerith was puzzled to see some of the peculiar expressions on Merlin's face, in particular ones of recognition and ― to her mounting worry ― alarm.

He levelled his gaze at her. "So you defeated the Darkness inside Sephiroth, correct?"

"Yes," Aerith replied.

"But," he continued, "in order to do so you had to briefly sacrifice yourself to the Darkness first."

"Yes." Aerith didn't like the look on Merlin's face. "Is there something wrong, Merlin?"

It was like he didn't hear her. "Describe to me again how you felt just before I found you, as in any emotions or thoughts you were experiencing during that time."

Aerith looked down into her cup, staring at her reflection rippling across the surface. It took her some time to realise it wasn't her movements that were causing the ripples but the slight vibrations that shook the foundations of Merlin's house, caused by the raging storm outside. "Despair. I felt such terrible despair," she murmured. Merlin nodded encouragingly. "Anything else?"

"Yes. There was also the feeling of loneliness, although I almost didn't recognise it for what it was, because it was surpassed by another emotion."

"Oh? And what emotion was that?" the wizard asked.

"Self-loathing."

Silence engulfed the room as the winds howled past outside. Aerith took a small sip of her tea, more to soothe her somewhat parched throat than out of actual thirst. She settled it upon her lap once more when Merlin spoke again.

"These emotions… think carefully now, Aerith. Who, out of all the people you know, would be the one you believe has the most reason to have experienced these emotions?"

Aerith gave him a puzzled look. Despair, loneliness and self-loathing. Well, despair wasn't an unfamiliar feeling to her or the others; everyone who had met up in Traverse Town had a past to lament about, a home world that was lost to the Darkness. But what about the other two emotions? They definitely narrowed down the odds. Could it be… Cloud? Aerith thought on it for a bit, and then discarded the idea entirely. Sure, one could take him for a bit of a loner at times, and he definitely had some self-esteem issues, but lately he seemed to be changing. Years ago, Cloud had been in perpetual mourning that began with her "death" back on Gaia, and continued when they found themselves in Traverse Town, after realising that certain people hadn't made it with them (in spite of the shock of her resurrection). Sometime after Sora, Donald and Goofy had defeated the man who lied and claimed to be Ansem, word of Tifa Lockhart alive and in Hollow Bastion had spread. From what Aerith knew Cloud hadn't seen Tifa right up until the fight between him and Sephiroth. Tifa helped him out by giving him some of her Light and the fight continued; both combatants eventually disappeared, and shortly after so did Tifa. Since that day, something had changed between the fist fighter and the blonde swordsman, although Aerith was hard put to guess what. Only one thing was for sure: Cloud was no longer his old, melancholic self.

Aerith frowned. No, she certainly didn't think Cloud was the one Merlin was hinting about.

_Despair, loneliness, self-loathing… despair, loneliness, self-loathing…_

Wait ― she knew who it was! Aerith felt like slapping herself. Why hadn't she thought of him sooner? He should have been the first person to have struck her mind.

"Sephiroth."

"Indeed," Merlin said, giving her a crooked smile.

"But last I saw of him, he was far from acting the way I had ― those emotions were quite overwhelming." _And what does relating this to Sephiroth have to do with anything anyway? _Aerith silently added.

Perking his head up at the door as if hearing or sensing something she couldn't, Merlin trotted towards it. On his way there he said over his shoulder, "Whoever said it was _during _the encounter between you and the man? Perhaps you defeating his Darkness gave him a reason to think over the things he has done. Four days can be an extremely long time, you know." Before Merlin could reach the door it blasted open and in blew Yuffie, closely followed by Leon.

"Don't _push_ me Squall, I was getting in just fine." Paused in thought, Aerith watched the tiny ninja glare at her companion as he grunted in response, straining to close the door again. Ferocious winds swept around the room, turning pages of the many open books that were lying everywhere. With a little help from Merlin, Leon had finally managed to close it. Both he and Yuffie turned around, noticing her sitting on the edge of Merlin's bed.

"Aerith! Finally you're awake!" Hopping over all of the books on the floor, Yuffie pounced on Aerith, inadvertently spilling the tea on her lap. As Yuffie stammered her apologies and she, Leon and Merlin laughed, all thoughts of Sephiroth and emotions flew out of Aerith's mind.

―――――

"You know, that dress you were wearing before looked pretty icky ― I mean," Yuffie paused to laugh somewhat sheepishly, "even before the tea stains. What were you doing out in the storm anyway? Merlin never told us." Her curious gaze was fixed on Aerith just as she came in, fresh out of the shower in new clothes. They were on Cid's most recently built gummi ship (which could have been described as more of a cruise ship than anything else) on their way to the Olympus Coliseum, where Tifa and Cloud were.

"I was on a visit," Aerith replied. "There wasn't a storm around when I left the castle gates."

"Oh." Aerith went to her side of the room and sat on the bed, attaching an old belt to her waist.

"Hey, what's the deal with that belt you're always wearing? Looks more like a belt for a man than a woman."

"That's because it is. It used to be Zack's." Yuffie raised an eyebrow. Aerith continued, "Cloud used to have it as one of his possessions, a kind of hand-me-down he received from Zack back in the days of SOLDIER. He gave it to me a while ago, said he no longer had a need for keepsakes."

"Oh," Yuffie said again.

Reaching over to the bedside table Aerith grabbed her brush and started going through the tangles in her hair. After the tea incident, Yuffie explained that she, Leon and Cid had already arrived in Radiant Garden the day before. Leon added that they had just been out to check on the townspeople and how they were holding up in the storm. Even now Aerith was still surprised the storm hadn't relented; four days and it was still raging on, fiercer than ever. It was the first storm Aerith had been in since she and the others arrived to live in Radiant Garden.

The suggestion to see how Cloud and Tifa were going had been Cid's, who appeared at the door a short time later after Leon and Yuffie. "Damn if I'm gonna let my baby ride out this storm," he had said, referring to his favourite gummi ship. "Don't wanna risk any damage. You guys coming?" Several hours later, they were all up in the air, bar Merlin who waved them off, muttering about finding some book or another.

There was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Yuffie asked, despite knowing that there were only four people onboard, one of them piloting the ship.

"It's me," Leon answered, ducking his head around the door. "Just letting you girls―" both Aerith and Yuffie glared at him, "―err, _women_ know that we're almost there." Hastily he closed the door again.

Yuffie bounced off her bed, pumping her fist into the air. "Yeah! Finally we're gonna see them two again. I haven't seen them in ages."

"Mmm," Aerith said. Done with brushing, she was tying up her hair in the usual style she always had it in.

Yuffie continued. "In fact, the last time I had seen them… it was kinda weird, really."

"Why was that?"

"Well, I was just passing them on my way to the marketplace. They were walking together ― silent, not a word between them ― and then suddenly, Tifa just _bursts _into giggles. For a second I thought she was laughing at me, but she was staring at Cloud the whole time. I don't think she even noticed me walking past." Yuffie stopped to take a breath before she raised her arms into the air. "And you wouldn't guess what Cloud was doing."

Her dramatic stance compelled Aerith to say, "What? What was he doing?" She was just short of bursting into giggles herself. Aerith had to hand it to the ninja: she sure knew how to make others laugh.

"_Grinning_. He was grinning," Yuffie said gravely. "Like a madman."

Feeling the gummi ship touchdown, Aerith and Yuffie left their room and joined with Leon, waiting for Cid to lower the ramp before stepping off the platform.

"So here we are. Olympus Coliseum," Leon said, gazing around. They had landed just outside of the gates.

"Man does it feel ever so good to be back here again. Wonder how Phil's doing," Yuffie said. Without waiting for an answer from anyone she rushed through the gates and out of sight. In her spot stood Cid, chewing on his toothpick.

"Think I'm gonna stay here by the _Shera _for a while. Might check in on you guys later."

Leon nodded. "All right." He left through the same gates Yuffie had vanished through and Aerith hastened to follow.

Other than Traverse Town and Radiant Garden Aerith had never visited any other worlds before, so naturally not knowing what to expect as the coliseum came into view, she was a little awed by its sheer size and architecture.

"So they've finally got the coliseum up and fixed again."

"Huh?" Aerith turned to Leon. He replied, "Apparently one of Hades' monsters ― a hydra ― tore through the coliseum not too long ago, reducing it rubble."

"A-a hydra?" Aerith didn't like the sound of that.

"Yes, but it's gone now. It won't be coming back."

Aerith had to restrain herself from gulping audibly; anything that could take down a whole coliseum had to be pretty strong indeed.

"Come on, let's find Yuffie." He held the entrance doors open for her and she went in. Inside, she found herself standing in a golden lobby, just as golden as it was outside. Several trophies adorned each side. Nearby was a muscular man dressed in some kind of warrior's outfit. He was watching on in amusement at no other than Yuffie and a stout little (what Aerith supposed was a) man quarrelling.

"No fair!"

"Sorry toots but no can do ― most of the finals are already over."

"Hmph." Yuffie pouted and moved her hands to her hips. All three turned at Leon and Aerith's arrival.

"Hey there, Leon," the muscular man said.

"Hey Herc," Leon said back.

"Ah there you are." The one Aerith presumed was 'Phil' looked up at Leon. "Figured you'd be lurking around somewhere near since she's here." He jabbed a stubby finger at Yuffie, who immediately rounded on him.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Who's the friend, Leon?" the man known as Herc asked, looking at Aerith. Aerith felt herself blush a little.

"This is Aerith. Aerith, Hercules and Phil."

"Nice to meet the both of you," Aerith said politely.

Hercules gave her a dazzling smile. "Likewise," Phil grunted. He turned back to Leon. "So what ― you here for the games too? Well tough luck pal, as I said before the finals for all the major cups are over."

"No, this isn't about that. We're here to see some friends of ours, Tifa Lockhart and Cloud Strife." Leon looked at them expectantly. "Would you happen to know either of them?" All three visitors didn't miss the sidelong glances Phil and Hercules shared.

"Yeah, we know of them," Phil said in an odd tone. "They were the ones who won all of the major tournaments here at the coliseum."

"They were extremely good." Everyone looked at Hercules who was still smiling, though some of the cheer had been replaced with bitterness. Phil snorted. "The word 'good' is an understatement. Try freaky."

"What do you mean by 'freaky'?" Leon crossed his arms.

Phil gawked at him. "Haven't you ever seen them two in action? Not that you really can, though ― they're that fast. I'll just say one thing for ya: they sure do give a whole new meaning to the term 'teamwork'."

"Where are they? Are they still here?"

"Nope," Hercules said. "After winning most of the cups I heard that they left for the Underworld. The Underdrome is still running, and I think they plan to enter one of the tournaments."

"Shouldn't the Underdrome be closed off and locked up by now?" Yuffie said. Hercules nodded, grimacing.

"My father and I have been meaning to get around to that. Fighting too long in that place can really mess your head up. Anyway, I should better finish training with Phil."

"Exactly, Heroboy. Can't keep Meg waiting now, can we?"

―――――

Bidding farewell to Phil and Hercules, the three made their way to the Underworld passage and walked through, Aerith stumbling a little as she did. There was a malevolent aura surrounding them, an aura that only strengthened as they finally reached the end of the passage. The Gunblade which Leon carried everywhere was lifted off his shoulders and grasped firmly in his hands. Yuffie whined a little and wrapped her arms around herself.

"God I hate this place, if it weren't for the prizes to be won at the Underdrome you'd never catch me here, nuh-uh not me, not the great ninja Yuffie."

"What is the Underdrome?" Aerith asked. "Is it like the Olympus Coliseum?" She heard Hercules mention it, but she still wasn't sure what it was.

"Yep, only a lot more dangerous and violent ― c'mon, I'll show you." Yuffie led the way, obliviously stepping right through a large green puddle on her way past. Giving the puddle a wide berth, Aerith stopped next to her, looking past a dark lake to where she was pointing. A circular mass of what appeared to be gigantic stalagmites slanting inwards was just visible through the mists, several spotlights illuminating the entrance. It looked like a rather intimidating place.

"There. That's probably where Tifa and Cloud are right now." Just as Yuffie said those words, a loud roar emanated from the place, deep inside of its walls. Aerith took a step back and almost bumped into Leon, who was standing near.

"Sounds like Cerberus, the three-headed dog. The pet of Hades, so to speak," he explained.

"I hope Tifa and Cloud will be okay," Aerith said worriedly.

"Hey!"

All three turned at the sound of the squeaky voice. It took Aerith several seconds to realise that the owner was standing right in front of them. She looked down and saw two tiny creatures, one pink and one blue.

"What are you humans doing here?" the pink one said.

"We're here to see Cloud and Tifa!" Yuffie exclaimed.

"Who ―" the pink one paused as the other one whispered into its ear. "Oh right. You mean the ones fighting Cerberus right now ― well you can't see them."

"And why not?" Another roar boomed from the Underdrome.

"Tickets have been all sold out. You're too late," the blue creature piped up. "The finals are going to begin soon and the stands are already filled up to the brim."

"Aw man! So are you saying there's no way of us getting to see them? None at all?" Yuffie looked at them pleadingly.

"None."

Leon brandished his Gunblade menacingly in front of the two creatures. "How about now?" he said.

Both creatures squealed and fell back, scrambling to get away from the weapon. They turned away from the trio, whispering in hurried voices until the pink creature turned to face them again.

"Fine. But His Most Perniciousness isn't going to be happy when he hears about this." The creature trotted further along the edge of the lake, coming to stop near a small boat. It gestured for them to get in.

The trip across the lake went smoothly enough, however Aerith felt a stir of uneasiness rising up from the bottom of her stomach. Ignoring the roars that were getting louder and louder, she leant over the side of the boat and stared into its depths. There was no reflection to greet her back. Lowering herself further, Aerith felt a compulsive urge to sink her fingers through the surface. Shimmering and sparkling waves grew brighter and brighter. Just a little further…

A hand reached out and pulled her back into the boat. "You don't want to do that."

Feeling the urge fade, Aerith remained still for a moment until realisation hit her. Quickly she shifted further away from the edge of the boat and looked over to her rescuer. "Thanks, Leon." Leon nodded.

As the boat neared closer to the Underdrome, a particularly loud and guttural roar ― almost anguished ― was heard, followed by a reverberating thud. Cheers rose from within.

Yuffie sighed in relief. "Guess Cloud and Tifa won."

"You're forgetting the final contender." Yuffie looked at the pink creature then faced forward again, huffing.

"Doesn't matter; Cloud and Tifa are still gonna win."

Reaching the water's edge Aerith, Leon and Yuffie jumped ashore, leaving the creature to return back to the other side. Thunderous yells and applause drifted through from beyond the entrance.

"Hey, do you think Cloud and Tifa know that fighting in the Underdrome too long can mess with their heads?" Yuffie asked.

"Let's hurry and find out," Leon replied. Rushing past the entrance, they were confronted by a very steep and dingy set of stairs. Aerith took the lead, flying up the stairs without pause until she had reached the top, several flights of steps later.

"Wow Aerith ― how do you manage to run so fast?" Yuffie gasped, leaning over her knees. Even Leon ― while not starved for air like Yuffie was ― was using his Gunblade for support, looking at her with something akin to wonder. They both arrived at the top several minutes after she did.

"I-I'm not sure," Aerith said, feeling slightly dazed. It was just like that time she had jumped over the rift in the storm four days ago; she didn't know how she did it, she just _did_. After Leon and Yuffie had a little time to catch their breath, the trio passed through a broad corridor. The noises were getting louder; a single voice rose above the rest, making Yuffie and Leon pause and shout at the same time: "Hades!"

"…And here we have it, folks! The one we've all been waiting for, the final match for the Hades Cup! Here we have our favourite two-man team, stiff-necked Strife and the ever-so-lovely Lockhart, competing against ― and you gotta admit the hair's quite something ― the new challenger, the one and only… Sephiroth! Let the match _begin_!"


End file.
